Glossary - Words, Phrases and Acronyms you might see

Following Tamsins 'newbie' thread it has been decided we will do a glossary of common abbriations and commonly used phrases and words that a newbie may not understand:

2 foot - Bunny talk for rabbit owner.

A&P - Allen and Page (a brand of rabbit pellets).

AFAIK - As far as i know.

Alfalfa - Hay. Extremely tasty and loved by nearly all, this is high in nutrients and fibre. Because of its high fibre, nutritional content and wonderful taste, it is an excellent food source to encourage eating in recovering animals following illness or surgery. It should only be fed as a treat as it is high in calcium which can lead to excess calcium build-up in the bladder.

Baytril - A commonly used antibiotic.

BEW - Blue eyed white. (A white rabbit with blue eyes).

BF - Boyfriend.

Binky - Happy bunny dance / jump / twist. When a rabbit binkies, it jumps into the air and twists its head and body in opposite directions (sometimes twice) before falling back to the ground. This can be done while standing in one place, or while running, which is really weird looking, and is sometimes called the "happy bunny dance." A rabbit can even turn 180o in midair. All this is a rabbit's way of telling you straight out that it is happy and overall pleased with you and its life. eg:

Bobbing - When a rabbit moves its head up and down in order to judge distance from an object, usually the floor when jumping down. Done because a rabbit does not have stereoscopic vision (each eye points in a different direction).

Bonding / Bonded - Rabbits that have accepted one another and are friends.

Brome hay - Similar to Timothy, offers a different taste and texture.

BTW - By the way.

Buck - Male rabbit.

Bump - To bring a post back to the top of the page so that it gets noticed.

Bunny 500 - When your bun tears around the house/garden at breakneck speed, often turning corners on a knifepoint.

Castrate - Operation to remove male rabbit sex organs.

Cecotroph - A squishy poo that looks like a bunch of tiny grapes. Rabbits should eat these to extract more nutrients.

Dewlap - A "double chin" most evident on females. Used as a handy place to pluck fur from when nest building.

DFH - Dust Free Hay (website that sells hay).

Doe - Female rabbit

EC - Encephalitozoon cuniculi.

ED / ED warning - Eating Disorder warning. The thread is about an eating disorder or may contain triggers that people who suffer with eating disorders may wish to avoid.

ETA - Edited to add (when you edit a post).

Flop / Happy flop - When a bunny flops onto its side, its a way of showing happiness.

Flystrike - A serious life threatening problem in the summer months where flies lay eggs on the rabbit's fur which then hatch into maggots. The maggots attack the rabbit which will quickly die of shock if rapid action is not taken.

FYI - For Your Info.

GA - General Anaesthetic.

GF - Girlfriend.

HE - Hay Experts (website that sells hay) .

HH - Happy Hutch (company that makes hutches).

Hoomin - (Human). Bunny talk for rabbit owner.

IMO - In my opinion.

Kit - Baby rabbit.

LA - Local anaesthetic.

LMAO - Laugh my ass off.

LOL - Laugh out loud.

Lop - A bunny with ears that flop downwards.

Malocclution - If the rabbit's teeth do not meet properly, then this normal wearing down does not occur and the teeth can grow very long. This condition is called malocclution- or buck or wolf teeth. As rabbit's teeth constantly grow it is essential to provide hay available at all times to wear them down.
Some rabbits develop malocclusion from an injury. This occasionally happens when a rabbit chews on its wire cage. Whatever the cause, once the teeth are out of position they rarely return to the proper position. In most cases, the teeth must be clipped every 2 to 3 weeks.

Myxomatosis - A virus that is common in both wild and pet rabbits. Myxomatosis is commonly spread by the rabbit flea and because of this does not need direct contact between two rabbits. This means any rabbit is at risk and should be vaccinated. As a disease, myxomatosis causes swelling of the eyes, nostrils and genitals. Myxomatosis is a painful disease and causes a nasty death. It is essential that all rabbits are vaccinated against this highly common disease.

Neuter - Operation to remove sex organs in either sex of rabbit

Neutral Territory - a term used when bonding rabbits, a place where no rabbit has been before.

NIC - Neat Idea Cubes, also known as grids, can be used to make pens and cages.

Oat hay - Similar to Timothy, offers a different taste and texture.

OP - Original post / Original poster.

O/H or OH - Other half.

P@H/PAH - Pets at Home. A national petshop chain in the UK.

Panacur - A worming treatment to prevent EC.

Pellets - An all in one food source consisting of small uniform brown pellets. Designed to provide good nutrition. eg SS, A&P.

Periscope - Rabbits sit up on their hind feet to get a better view of their surroundings. Usually periscoping occurs when a rabbit hears something and is trying to figure out what it is. Rabbits also use this technique to become taller so they can reach the snack you are holding.

Rearguard - A foam that is applied to the rabbit's back and rear end that prevents flystrike by stopping fly eggs developing into maggots.

REW - Red eyed white. A white rabbit with red eyes.

ROFL - Rolling on floor laughing.

RWA - Rabbit Welfare Association.

Savvy - Experienced / knowledgeable.

Scanning - Moving the head from side to side in order to obtain a clearer picture of it's surroundings. Usually done by REWs.

Slave - Rabbit owner.

Snugglesafe - A microwaveable heatpad that gives out up to 10 hours warmth. You pop it under the bedding. Dont put an animal just out of theatre on it as if the animal is knocked out it can't move so it may get hurt as it cant get away from the heat.Always use the cover.

Spay - Operation to remove female rabbit sex organs.

SS - Science Selective (a brand of rabbit pellets).

Stasis - Gastro Intestinal Stasis. The condition of slowing down or complete stopping of the gut. Usually a secondary symptom of another ailment which has caused the rabbit to stop eating. Signs of Stasis are not wanting to eat and/or little or no pooing. Stasis should be seen to immediately, failure to do so could be fatal. Treatment can involve gut stimulants, pain killers, syringing water and soft foods. Most rabbits recover fully although some are prone to repeated bouts.

TBH - To Be Honest

Timothy hay - A mix of flat blade and stalk, high fibre content, thought to be best for bunnies

Vibes - Request for (or expression of) empathy/understanding/sympathy/support in respect of a situation or activity.

Viral Haemorrhagic Disease - This is a fatal, highly contagious disease of domestic rabbits. The disease takes 24-72 hours to develop after infection with the virus, some cases may be rapidly fatal without prior indication of illness. It is highly recommended vaccination for all rabbits against this disease.

When a rabbit binkies, it jumps into the air and twists its head and body in opposite directions (sometimes twice) before falling back to the ground. This can be done while standing in one place, or while running, which is really weird looking, and is sometimes called the "happy bunny dance." A rabbit can even turn 180o in midair. All this is a rabbit's way of telling you straight out that it is happy and overall pleased with you and its life.